Family Friendly Miami Travel Guide

Disclaimer: Many thanks to Visit Miami and Berkeley Park Hotel for hosting my family and me for our stay, and as usual – all opinions are my own! 

Ok, so when I usually think of Miami, I think of my fond memories of partying it up in South Beach with my girlfriends. But did you know that Miami is also a great family-friendly destination? From the beaches to the parks and museums- there are tons of things to do with your little ones in Miami! 

Where to stay in Miami:

We stayed at the Berkeley Park Hotel in South Beach. It is in such an ideal location. It’s 2 blocks from the beach, which they have a spot at the 22nd street beach where you can rent beach umbrellas and chairs.

The rooms are spacious and they have a gorgeous rooftop pool that Elara made many friends at. Also, the hotel is within walking distance of the Botanical Garden, Collin Park, the Convention Center, and a ton of restaurants! 

What to Do: 

The most obvious thing to do is go to the beach. I recommend going in the mornings or afternoons when the sun isn’t too harsh for the kiddos. Be sure to slather the kids in sunscreen before letting them loose. What I love about Miami Beach is that the water is quite shallow and calm-perfect for little ones! 

Drive an hour to Biscayne Bay and explore the reefs on Biscayne Bay National Park! We made reservations to do a boat tour but unfortunately it got canceled due to bad weather. However, they do have a short 1/4 mile walk which you can take. Be sure to put on bug spray before heading out. We saw crabs, fish, turtles, and a manatee! I would call ahead before visiting to make sure your boat tour is still on because most of the park is on the water and there is little to do if you can’t get out there. 

We ended up driving another hour to the Everglades where we took a few small walks along a boardwalk in the swamps. We saw gators, TONs of fish, turtles, birds, and a variety of bugs. This is definitely worth a visit with your kids if they’re into animals and nature. Elara could not contain her excitement while we spotted creatures left and right! Don’t forget to grab a Junior Ranger book for your little ones to complete during their visit so that they can get their Junior Ranger badge! Also, bring an umbrella with you as it rained on and off during our trip. 

Within Miami, you can rent bikes with a toddler seat and ride along the beach pathway. Miami is super bike-friendly and we rented bikes a few years ago during a visit and really enjoyed it. Another place to check out is the Miami Botanical Gardens (they require reservations to enter currently). 

What to Eat:

Timeout Market Miami is a 10-minute walk from the Berkeley Park Hotel. It’s a great place to do to for a fun lunch or dinner. It has a Bachour Pastry kiosk, where we got some gorgeous entremets and croissants. We ended up going back a few more times for pastries because enjoyed them THAT much.

We also had arepas and patacon from Arepitas Bar as well as pho and bao from Pho Mo. Both Pho Mo and Arepitas Bar had a good amount of vegetarian options! Elara really enjoyed the arepas which has mushrooms, corn, crispy onions, and more all sandwiched between two fluffy corn cakes. 

Another must-stop place is Ghee Miami owned by Chef Niven Patel. I was lucky enough to meet the chef and chat. We learned about Rancho Patel, the farm his family runs to supply some of the produce used at the restaurant, and his new restaurant endeavors. We tried the tiffin lunch which was fantastic! It comes with rice, seeded naan, a curry of the day, and papaya salad. It was enough to feed both Rhut and me! We also order the crispy cauliflower dish, which was SUPER crunchy and crispy! The chutneys were just like my mom’s and overall we left the restaurant feeling satiated and happy. 

If you decide to visit Biscayne or the Everglades, be sure to stop at El Palacio de los Jugos for some sugar cane juice and guava pastry. The pastries are served hot and are just magical- I could have eaten 10 of them easily. Also, stop at Robert Is Here, a tropical fruit stand that is for their famous fruit smoothies!  

Overall Miami is a wonderful place to explore with kids. Between the beaches, nature, and good food- you’ll have a ton of things to do!